In Love With The Girl
by Queen2Hearts
Summary: Five years after Callie left home, Brandon moves to New York for an internship with a local music company. Just as he settles into his new home, a familiar face turns his world upside down. And now he has to fight to keep her in his life.
1. Life Goes On

**Title: In Love With The Girl (sequel to FJTOM)**

**Rating: M for Mature (adult content and strong language)**

**Pairing: Brallie**

**Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Summary: Five years after Callie left home, Brandon moves to New York for an internship with a local music company. Just as he settles into his new home, a familiar face turns his world upside down.**

**A/N: The prequel may be found here: For Just This One Moment (since I can't link [stupid FFN *grumblegrumblegrumble*] just go to livejournal and look for Sweetholiday09. The story will be the first entry on the page. Also, be warned: ****this piece contains explicit graphic adult content and has therefore restricted to anyone under the age of 18. therefore, if you are a minor, don't bother following the link and just read the story below.)**

For months after Callie had left the Fosters it seemed as if time had stopped. Nobody wanted to admit that Callie was gone for good to parts unknown but that had been the unavoidable truth. So life went on, but Callie Jacobs was never forgotten. Every so often Brandon would drive around town hoping for some sign of the girl who had disappeared with his heart even though he knew it was futile. Callie was gone and she was never coming back. But it had become something of a routine for him, and sometimes Jude when the younger boy opted to tag along.

Five years down the road and Brandon still caught himself doing the same things once in awhile. In those five years so many things had changed and yet the one constant thing in his life was the torch that he carried in his soul for the girl who had disappeared without a trace. Jude had been officially made a Foster, Mariana and Jesus had graduated and gone off to colleges upstate, and now Brandon was getting ready to embark on a cross-country journey for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to intern with one of the most famous record companies in the country.

Even though he disliked the thought of leaving when Callie still hadn't been found, everyone else around him had moved and Brandon knew that the time had come for him to live his life as well. The idea of not being able to drive around the familiar streets of San Diego to look for her was upsetting, but Brandon knew he had to let go and move on. So when the opportunity had presented itself two weeks prior, he had accepted with Callie and his parents in mind.

As he packed various things into his suitcase in anticipation of the changes tomorrow would bring, Brandon paused at the sight of the family photo on his bedside table. A soft smile pulled at the corners of his lips as he sat down on his bed and held the photo aloft in his hand, caressing it gently. It was the photo they had taken together at his mother's and stepmother's wedding, and Callie's face was smiling up at him brightly, cheeks flushed a brilliant pink from all of the evening's festivities. Memories of them dancing together as a family, and their first stolen kisses as a couple flashed through his mind.

A knock at his door pulled Brandon out of his thoughts. "Hey B, finished packing yet?"

Brandon looked up at his mother and smiled as she settled down next to him, her thin arm coming to rest across his shoulder. "Yeah, almost. Just a few more things."

Stefanie lifted the picture from her son's hands and stared at it sadly, gently caressing Callie's image with her thumb. "We all miss her B, but you can't put your life on hold anymore. She wouldn't want that."

Even though Brandon knew his mother was right, that Callie wouldn't have wanted him to wait around for her, a part of him was still hesitant about leaving. He wanted to be around if Callie ever decided to come home. "I know Mom, but... What if Callie comes home and there's nobody there? I don't want her to think that we forgot about her and moved on as if she hadn't ever existed."

Stefanie smiled softly and pressed a kiss to Brandon's temple. "There will always be somebody here waiting for Callie to walk through that door. But it doesn't have to be you, B."

Brandon nodded and leaned into his mother's warmth. "I know Mom, but I want it to be."

Stefanie laughed and pressed another kiss to the top of her son's head. "Oh, you are your father's son alright. I promise you Brandon, the moment Callie comes home Lena and I will call you. You'll be the first to know, okay?"

Brandon smiled at his mother and pressed a kiss to her thin cheek. "Thanks, Mom."

Amused by her son's actions, Stefanie pushed herself off the bed, placed the picture back on his table, and ruffled his hair. "Okay, well, I'm going to let you finish packing and get to bed. You've got an early day tomorrow. Goodnight B."

"Okay. Night mom." Brandon watched quietly as his mother left the room and suppressed an exasperated sigh when a familiar red-head appeared in his doorway.

Stefanie blinked in shock and smiled at her son's girlfriend. "Talya. It's late, what brings you here?"

After Callie had left, Talya had diligently worked her way back into Brandon's life, sticking to his side like glue whenever she had free time. And now that Brandon was to fly across the country, she was here to remind him who he belonged to. "Hi Missus Foster! I just wanted to come say goodbye to Brandon and give him the present I forgot to bring to the party, since I won't be able to see him tomorrow. I promise I won't be long."

Stefanie nodded and disappeared down the hall, leaving Brandon alone in his room with Talya. Smiling brightly, Talya plopped down next to the object of her obsession and handed him a velvet box. "Here, a going away present from me to you."

Brandon nodded and opened the little black box, a slightly perplexed expression gracing his handsome features as he stared at the object glinting up at him beneath the dim light of his room. "Funny... I always thought I was going to be the one to pop the question after graduation."

Talya giggled and pushed Brandon's shoulder playfully. "I'm not proposing silly. It's a promise ring, to remind you that you have someone waiting for you back home. See? I have one too."

The white gold, diamond studded band staring back at him from Talya's right ring finger was indeed a smaller replica of his own, only his was void of any kind of diamond. But the real meaning behind Talya's gift was not lost to Brandon, who nonchalantly slid the ring onto his finger and tossed the box into his open suitcase. "Thanks but you should just call it what it is. You're just marking your territory because heaven forbid some hussy has the audacity to flirt with me while you aren't around to snarl at her."

Offended by Brandon's clear lack of tact, Talya shot off of the bed and stalked towards the door angrily. "Why do you have to be so cynical about everything? Why can't I just get you something because I want to?"

Brandon rolled his eyes and held his hand aloft to show off his shiny new shackle. "A ring, Talya? Coming from someone like Lexi, sure, it's a sincere gift because she actually trusts Jesus. But we both know that the thought of me living alone on the other side of the country scares you the same way Callie scared you when she first moved in. Short of you coming with me, this is the only way you could think of to keep the girls away and we both know it."

Anger flashed in Talya's eyes, but rather than losing her temper she opted for a scathing glare instead. "Whatever. Take it however you want. I'm leaving. Have fun in New York."

And then Brandon was alone again, listening to Talya's heavy steps as she raced down the stairs. Instead of going after her like he would have on some other occasion, Brandon pushed his suitcase to the floor and rolled over onto his bed with a heavy sigh. Even though it wasn't how he had planned on saying goodbye to his on-and-off girlfriend, he couldn't really bring himself to care.

Noting the time on his bedside clock, Brandon stripped down to his shirt and boxers and slid into bed, glancing one last time at the family photo before turning off the light.

* * *

At 8 o'clock the next morning Brandon said farewell to his family and loaded all of his worldly belongings into the back of his father's car. With a final glance back at the place where his life had begun, Brandon climbed into the passenger seat and smiled at his father.

"Let's go, Dad. It's time for me to live my life."


	2. Yours, Mine, and Ours

**Chapter 2 - Yours, Mine, and Ours**

* * *

It had only been about a week since Brandon had left home in pursuit of a once-in-a-lifetime internship and already his life in New York was falling into a routine. Every morning a call from Talya would haul him out of a fitful sleep and then at precisely 7:35AM he would make the 10 minute commute to work via public transit, stopping off for coffee and a sandwich along the way. At 7:50, Brandon would report to his boss's office for the daily assignments and then drop off his stuff at his desk to begin his work.

Then at 1:15 he would stop at the nearby Subway to pick up his lunch, usually a tuna sandwich on honey-wheat bread with sweet iced-tea served by a rude middle-aged Indian woman. After lunch Brandon would report back to work until 6:30PM, filing papers and writing up reports. After work, Brandon would make the 10 minute commute back home, stopping off at the Bleecker Street pizza parlour behind his complex for dinner.

And at 8:00PM, just as Brandon opened the door to his new home, his phone would screech violently in response to Talya's eerily scheduled call. They would talk for about ten minutes and then Brandon would cut her off, feigning fatigue from the day's work. Afterwards, Brandon would toss his phone aside and stare up at the ceiling blankly, wondering why on earth he was still picking up her calls. By 9:30 every evening, Brandon would be fast asleep, dreaming of a girl with brunette hair.

7 days away from home and already he hated the routine he had fallen into. Where was the excitement everybody who had ever been to New York raved about? Day in and day out it was the same damn thing: Talya, subway, breakfast, work, lunch, subway, dinner, Talya, sleep. Christ, Talya. It was as if she just waited around all day to talk to him, like she sat at home staring at the clock, timing it just so that she would catch him first thing in the morning and right when he got home from work. But even if it was for just one day, Brandon wished that something exciting would happen, that even for just a moment his life in a city that was supposed to be teeming with excitement wouldn't be so droll. If his mother had been there, she would have told him to be careful what he wished for.

Yesterday, Brandon had followed his boss to a meeting with a client in Soho at a local, well known coffee shop about 10 minutes from his office. Like a good intern, Brandon had been diligently taking notes and writing down future schedules when the waitress serving the table in front of them caught his attention. She was thinner than he remembered and her hair was much longer, but there was no mistaking that smile and those beautiful chocolate brown eyes. There was no mistaking that this girl was Callie.

Not realizing that she had been recognized, Callie continued to chat with the elderly couple at the table, laughing at a joke the white-haired man cracked in reference to his children. Brandon had continued to watch her, trying to process that Callie was real and not a figment of his imagination. But before he could talk to her his boss had redirected his attention and by the time he looked back again she was gone, as if she had never been there in the first place.

Even after they had left and returned to the office Brandon couldn't stop thinking about her. So instead of going straight home after work, Brandon deviated from his usual path and went back to the coffee shop where he had seen her. But Callie was nowhere to be found. So he asked around, talked to customers and employees until finally someone gave in and scribbled on a piece of paper an address just two blocks from the shop. By that time the sun had given way to the moon, so Brandon had opted to come back after work the next day.

Which was where he found himself now. After work, Brandon had immediately boarded the subway and returned to Soho, navigating the streets until he reached a brownstone connected to a western antique shop. But the moment he reached her door, he had hesitated. Did he really want to disrupt the life she had built for herself?

After deliberating for another moment, Brandon decided that he had to talk to her. He had to hear her voice and hold her in his arms just one more time. Then, if she wanted him to disappear from her life, he would. So he took a deep breath and rapped his knuckles against her door three times.

Thirty seconds passed before Brandon raised his fist to knock again. But before his knuckles touched wood, the door swung open revealing a cozy living room connected to the kitchen. An empty living room.

And then he felt a gentle tug on the leg of his jeans. "E'scuse me. Who are you mister?"

Brandon gaped in shock at the tiny replica of Callie staring up at him. "I'm..."

Suddenly a familiar, chastising voice called out to the little girl. "Demi! What did Mommy say about answering the door without me?"

The little girl, apparently named Demi, pouted her little lips. "Sowwie Mama."

Brandon tore his gaze away from Demi and looked up, his entire world coming to a screeching stand-still at the sight of Callie standing in the hallway with a dark haired little boy perched on her hip, his face buried in her neck. "Callie?"

Callie, who had been in the middle of picking up a fallen pink sweater, froze and straightened up slowly. No matter how long it had been, she knew that voice anywhere. "Brandon? What are you doing here?"

Still reeling, Brandon opened and closed his mouth, searching for the right words. "I... saw you... at the coffee shop the other day and I... asked if they knew where you lived... and... you have kids?"

Callie hesitated for a brief moment, wondering if she should just chase him away. Against her better judgement, she pulled Brandon inside by the sleeve of his shirt and closed the door behind him. "Demi, will you go get ready for bed please?"

"Okay Mama." Children. Callie Jacobs had not one, but two small children. This was not something that he had expected. Not that he had expected to find her living alone. He had been prepared to come face to face with someone she had met in the last half a decade, or maybe even Wyatt. But never would he have dreamed that she would be a single mother.

As soon as Demi disappeared down the hall, Callie turned to face Brandon with an unreadable expression on her face. "What are you doing here?"

Brandon rubbed his hands over his face and sighed heavily, trying to process the situation. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Callie sighed in frustration and adjusted the little boy on her hip. "That's not even a question. You know damn well why I left that day."

It was evident that Callie was upset, but then so was he. Brandon had put his life on hold for the last five years while he tried to find her, but here she was living as if he and his family had ever existed. "What? You mean Liam? That's not even an excuse. You know Moms would have protected you."

Callie blinked back tears and sniffled sadly. "But I didn't want them to Brandon, that's the point. Liam was my problem, is my problem, not theirs. If I had stayed he would have dragged everyone into our mess. I didn't want that."

In that moment, Brandon finally noticed. He had been too distracted earlier by the two young children calling Callie their mother, but now that he was face to face with her, he saw it. The faded black and purple bruise around Callie's eye and the healing cut on the bridge of her nose. And he knew, without a single word passing between them, that he wasn't the first person to find her after she had disappeared. "He was here, wasn't he? Did he do this to you Callie?"

Callie turned away from Brandon and wiped a stray tear from her cheek roughly. "Even if he was, it's none of your business."

Brandon scoffed and gently cupped Callie's face in his hands, turning her to face him. "The hell it isn't Callie. Anything that endangers the welfare and happiness of my family is my business."

Family. How Callie hated the way that word fell so easily from his lips. If only he knew just how much of a family they really were. Would he still care about her as much? Would he stay, or run away just as she had all those years ago? "Family... Brandon, you and I haven't been family for a very long time, if ever."

Brandon smiled gently and lowered his hand from Callie's cheek to the little boy nestled quietly in her arms, stroking his hair affectionately. "Callie Jacobs, you and I have been family since the day you realized that you were pregnant with _our_ children and decided to keep them."

Taken back by Brandon's unbelievably accurate assumption, Callie struggled to find the right words. "I... I don't know what you're talking about. They're not yours, Brandon and I'm sure I don't know why you would think they are."

As if he had read her thoughts, Brandon caught Callie's gaze and pointed to the small collection of photos lining the wall in the hallway. "That little boy in those pictures looks exactly like me when I was that age. You can't tell me that it's just some bizarre coincidence Callie."

Callie sighed and pressed her lips to the top of her son's head. From the moment the doctor's had handed him to her wrapped in a blue blanket Callie had realized that it was painfully obvious just whose son he was. Even if everything else about him resembled her, he had his father's eyes and smile, and definitely his quiet personality. "I... I need to put him to bed. I'll be right back."

"Callie, wait. Wait! We need to talk." That much was obvious. But Callie was not willing to have this conversation in front of her young child.

Callie turned back to face Brandon, cradling her son protectively in her arms. "I know Brandon. But I am not going to have this conversation in front of my son. I'll be right back."

Brandon watched with a heavy heart as Callie carried his son down the hallway and disappeared into the bedroom he probably shared with his sister. As he waited for Callie to return, Brandon gazed at the pictures on the wall and smiled to himself. _Callie and I make some damn beautiful kids, if I do say so myself_. He couldn't wait to tell his parents that they were now grandparents.

Suddenly a heavy knock at the door pulled Brandon out of his happy thoughts. Wondering who it could possibly be at that hour, he approached the door slowly, calling out to the person on the other side. "Who is it?"

The only reply that came was another heavy, rather angry sounding knock. Not bothering to peer through the peephole, Brandon pulled the door open and frowned angrily at the all too familiar person staring back at him.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

* * *

**A/N: Yay, people actually enjoy my story haha. I want to apologize for the wait and for the broken link to the prequel. Clearly, FFN just doesn't like me lol. But if any of you would like to read the prequel, you can find my journal Sweetholiday09 at LiveJournal and read it there. It will be the very first entry, titled 'For Just This One Moment'. And as I have already warned you all, it's an NC17 fic, so no minors allowed!**

**Kay, well, hope you enjoyed the most recent chapter. I shall be back my lovelies! Until then, TTFN (Ta-Ta For Now)!**


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